Strong
by ZeDancingHobbit
Summary: When Jack is attacked by the Decepticons, both he and Arcee are stretched mentally, pysically, and emotionally. To be strong for someone else is one thing. To be strong for yourself is a whole other deal. Jack!whump. Two-shot.


**So. A one-shot that got out of hand. This is the outcome of staying up too late thinking about the finale and thinking about what must go on in Jack's head and wanting to have some Jack!whump and a bit of friendship fluff between the two. Because though I didn't like him in the beginning, he's grown and matured. And he's grown on me. So. Enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own TFP. **

Arcee hummed under her breath, watching Jack's darkened house expectantly in motorcycle form. He was supposed to be outside 10 minutes ago, yet had shown no sign of emerging. She was a patient robot, she supposed, but she grew weary of lurking about. There were things to be done. June had given her consent for him to sleep over at the base, along with all the other children, and Arcee (surprisingly) looked forward to it. And it wasn't like Jack to be so late… Seeing as no one was around, she scooted up to his doorstep and bumped against it a few times by way of knocking. Within a few moments, June opened it, clothed in sweatpants and carrying a magazine.

"Arcee!" she greeted the motorcycle. "What can I do for you? I though you were at the sleepover."

"I was planning on being there," Arcee replied, "but I was waiting for Jack. Is he almost ready?"

"Oh, he didn't call?" June sighed and raised her eyes towards the heavens. "What will I do with him? Jack had to stay late after school and clean for detention. He punched Vince for picking on Raf, and, well…" She shrugged. "What can you do? He said he'd have you pick him up when he was done. Which…" She glanced at ther watch. "Should've been at least 15 minutes ago. He didn't call?"

A foreboding feeling grew in Arcee's spark. "Probably just ended up staying late. I'll call him and head over to the school. Thanks."

"Have a good time!" June called over her shoulder as she headed into the house. "And scold him for me, will you? He knows better."

Arcee chuckled. "Will do." And with that, she zoomed off, activating her holoform and making for school. Suppressing an irritated huff at being stuck behind a rusty tractor trailer, she commed Jack's cell phone. It rang once, twice, three times before he picked up.

"H-hello?"

"Jack," she answered, "where are you?"

"Uh…I'm at home."

Arcee paused. Uh, no he wasn't. Jack was lying to her? He rarely did that… Deciding to play along, she hemmed and hawed. "Home? Really? You're at home?"

Jack hesitated before answering. "Uh, yeah, and, uh, it looks like I'm not gonna be able to make it tonight."

"Jack…" Arcee began in a warning tone.

"…You're at my house, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Well. On my way to the school."

"No no no, don't do that!" Jack exclaimed into the phone. "I'm fine, just embarrassed because I have to-nhh-stay late and it's okay you need to go back to base okay right now okay?" He gave another soft grunt into the phone after ending his string of frantic words, sending another shot of worry to Arcee's spark.

"Jack, what's going on?"

"Nothing!"

"Jack…"

"I'm fine, trust me. Don't worry about me. You should get back to base. Okay? Please just go, 'Cee."

"Why wouldn't you be fine? Should I be worried? Jack Darby, tell me what is wrong this second or bad things will happen!"

"You sound like my mother," Jack huffed mirthlessly.

"Not kidding."

"H-how bad?"

If Arcee had eyes at the moment, they would've been nothing more than thin slits. "Very."

Jack began to exhale heavily, but caught himself, as though it pained him. Pained him? "Promise to go back to base if I tell you?"

"The _truth_."

"Fine." He inhaled and exhaled shallowly a few times before continuing. "I-I was-" He grunted once more as he presumably shifted "-finishing cleaning the gym at school…and…well…somehow some 'Cons found me."

"Primus," Arcee breathed. Her processor suddenly felt light headed.

"Yeah, and…well…they don't always seem to shoot too well, but tonight they were p-pretty accurate…" Jack broke off with a cough. "Oh. That's kind of gross."

"I'm on my way," Arcee stated, speeding ahead onto the sidewalk to pass the trailer and zipping to the right. Neither traffic laws nor grass nor tractor-trailers nor hell itself could get between her and her ward.

"No!" Jack yelped frantically into the phone. "You promised, Arcee! The 'Cons are out there!"

"That was before I knew you were shot," Arcee snapped. "Plus I didn't exactly promise. I don't care about 'Cons, anyways. I can handle them."

"Not six," Jack grumbled lowly.

"Just stay awake. I'm on my way."

Six. Primus. Jack had been up against six Decepticons. If she didn't know if she could even put up with six fully armed and loaded of the vile things, how could Jack, a defenseless teenager, even be alive? She nearly stopped as the realization that he might not be for much longer hit her. No. She would not let that happen. Jack was her ward, her friend, her family, and she would move heaven, earth, and Cybertron to keep him safe. He was not going to die today. And with that resolution emblazoned in her processor, she zipped through the doors of the school and down the shiny-slick halls, keeping an eye out for any markings that would tell her where the gym was. Aha. "Gymnasium" to the right. She transformed and, ducking low, pushed the bright red doors open.

It was fairly dim in the gym. All lights but a few on the other side of the gym were off, and as it was dark outside, the lighting was not spectacular. There was signs of massive beings previously in the building, as the floor was scratched up and mud was everywhere. An abandoned mop and bucket lay upon the floor. Switching her optic beams on and unsheathing her blades, she swept her gaze over the bleachers, stage, and basketball court to the doors on the far wall. No one. "Jack?"

"'M over here," she heard the low answer from near the side of the stage not in her vision. She hastened towards him, her pedes thumping on the floor. She slowed as she turned the corner and looked down, coming to a full stop as she caught sight of him. She sheathed her blades and let out a soft gasp. "Oh, Jack," she murmured in horror, kneeling down in front of him.

The teen's torso was a mass of blood, energon, and burnt flesh, his shirt torn to ruins. The gory sight took up the space just below his pectorals down to just above his hips, a mass of agonized muscle and oozing liquids. Sitting on the ground, he had let his head lean back against the stage, his face screwed up in a grimace of agony and his chest heaving for breath. One foot was drawn up close to his body, the other splayed in front of him, and his arms lay limply on the ground, palms up. Something red and sticky was smeared on the white skin around his mouth.

He looked like death.

At her words, he cracked an eye open and gave a miniscule wave of his hand. "Heya, 'Cee," he croaked. "Lovely, isn't it?"

"We need to get you to the hospital," she ordered, snapping out of her terror-filled daze and moving to pick him up.

"No," Jack refused solidly, pushing her digit away. He let out a gasp of pain, then bit it back at her concerned look. "No hospital."

"Jack, have you seen yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm looking right at me," he snapped. "No hospital. I'll be fine."

"Jack-"

"How do you expect to explain the energon?" he exploded. "How do I explain that I got shot by fricking huge robots? I can't! Look, it doesn't even hurt that bad."

They stared at each other in a lockdown of stubborness, her blue optics locked with his black eyes. Neither was willing to back down, but both couldn't win. They glared for a few minutes, daring each other to fold, but it was not to be. Frag his ridiculous pig-headedness.

"Now come on," Jack ordered, "Let's go. Just drop me off at my house. I'll be okay." And with that display of bravado, he attempted to push upwards with his arm, but immediately fell backwards and screwed his eyes shut, teeth grinding against each other.

"Hey," she murmured, reaching a digit out a tipping his chin upwards. He inhaled before looking at her, eyes swimming with tears of pain and embarrassment. "I appreciate the gesture. I do. You're worried about us, and I thank you for that." She brushed back his hair tenderly, softly. "But now is not the time to play the hero. If you don't get help…" She trailed, off, then decided on a trail of compromise. "If we don't get you to the hospital, we at least need to get you back to base."

"It'll mess up the sleepover," Jack mumbled, but she sensed his resolve cracking.

She gave a mirthless chuckle. "I don't think there's going to be much of a sleepover tonight."

Jack sighed and bowed his head. His hands clenched and unclenched at his side. "Don't know if I can ride you."

"I'll carry you."

Jack barked a laugh, sparking a cough in his chest. He hacked and wheezed for a few seconds, blood burbling over his lips. "Oh, yeah. Because no one's gonna notice a giant robot walking in the street." He brought a shaking hand up and wiped away the liquid, smearing it on his cheek.

"I'll tell Ratchet to get a ground bridge," she answered smoothly, but felt a ripple of irritation when he shook his head.

"People can see it through the windows."

"Jack, enough. I don't know why you won't let me take you back to base, but I am and that is the end of it. Understood?" she barked out, but instantly regretted it when she saw his eyes close and his chin start to tremble, ever so slightly. "…Jack?"

He sucked in a painful breath before answering. "I don't want them to see me like this," he whispered, opening his eyes. "I'm supposed to be the strong one, I'm supposed to be the example. But I screwed up, and I got shot, and…and I can't be strong right now, and I can't let them see that. Please, don't let them see like this," he begged.

Arcee's spark melted as she watched him struggle. All feelings of frustration left, and she passed her digit over his hand. "You're already so strong, Jack," she murmured. "No one will think less of you. They'll think you were brave. And stubborn, yes. But weak? Never." As her digits reached up to caress his face, Jack let out a sob, quickly suppressing it, and reached for one of the appendages with his hand. He held onto it with an iron grip, pressing his face to the cool metal.

"It hurts," he whispered, the slight trace of a whimper making its way into his voice.

"I know," she answered gently. "Let's go back to base and get it fixed up, okay?" He nodded wordlessly and she pressed her comm link. "Ratchet?"

"What is it, Arcee?"

"I need a ground bridge," she requested. She glanced down at the struggling boy and added as an afterthought, "And ready the med bay."

"Why? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"It's Jack," she murmured. "He met up with some Decepticons."

"How bad is it?" Concern tinged the old 'Bot's voice.

"…Just have it ready."

**Please review for me! Like it? Hate it? Second part will be posted soon. **


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